If you've heard or seen anything about Code Vein, you know the elevator pitch; do a Dark Souls but make it animate but there's more to it than that.
It's unique post-apocalyptic sci-fi meets horror anime setting stands out and pairing you with an AI buddy makes it feel mechanically distinct from the rest of the crowd.
Sometimes that sidekick is more trouble than they're worth but in this kind of game, frustration comes with the territory.
The action RPG combat your custom character awakens in a wild mad max-style ghoul eat ghoul world as an undead revenant who feeds on blood.
The 30hour story takes itself seriously even though some of its quirks teeter on the line between interesting and ridiculous. But the story drops an enticing breadcrumb trail of mysteries and unfurls details about the world as you go.
For all its twists and turns though most of the story and Code Vein feels very separate from what you actually do.
It is hours and hours of exploring the labyrinth and caverns and city ruins of the revenant world, cutting through feral revenants and typical souls like fashion.
Basic combat is up to par for the genre and each twisty, turny level is chock-full of combat that requires you to play cautiously and choose your moments. But beyond that your options extend far beyond the average stick and move tactics.
Your character has an effectively unlimited capacity to invent and reinvent themselves by changing their class aka blood code rescaling their stats for different types of character builds and give you access to different abilities.
Over time you can mix and match skills and blood codes to create custom loadouts that can give you an edge over certain types of enemies.
It is particularly helpful when you get stuck in a tough encounter or boss fights where changing our class can help you see the fight in a new light.
When you're in the thick of battle against a group of enemies, it definitely helps that you have a partner to take the edge off. Code Vein’s other novel innovation is that it pairs you with an AI controlled partner.
Each of your AI squad mates has a different blood code, so it pays to pick one that complements your playstyle. Of course, they're also helpful as a meat shield but keep some enemies off your back while you concentrate on a few targets at a time.
Then again when the going gets really tough, your partner can really cramp your style.
Most of the AI characters are relentlessly aggressive and can't really read enemy attack patterns which makes them a liability in tough boss fights.
Like it or not, your partner support is valuable so your capacity to defeat many of Code Vein harder bosses comes down to how they perform. That element of randomness does not feel good in a game that otherwise demands precision.
You can take the AI Ally out of the equation entirely in place solo but playing alone is far more difficult than dealing with the AI's issues.
There's also a Dark Soul style co-op option where you can summon another player for short term support but without any real matchmaking or even the ability to sync up with friends that isn't a long-term substitute for an AI companion.
Plus, companions are a vital part of what makes code main interesting and the running commentary helps keep you up-to-date on what's going on in the story even during long stretches without a major event or cutscene.
Despite building itself on well tread ground Code Vein definitely moves to the beat of its own drummer.
That beat can lose its rhythm when you need to be steady. However, some of its new ideas work well being able to easily switch classes on-the-fly is great.
For example, others like unreliable sidekick AI adds too much dependence on luck to a style of combat the prizes skill above all else.
But that willingness to take chances on bold new ideas makes things interesting during a familiar type of challenge and it's worth sinking your teeth into because of it.
